Milling machine for cylindrical stereotype platens or the like



Feb. 3, 1959 A. o. OLSSON EIAL MILLING MACHINE FOR CYLINDRICAL 2,871,766STEREOTYPE PLATENS OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9', 1956Feb. 3, 1959 A. O. OLSSON ET AL MILLING MACHINE FOR CYLINDRICALSTEREOTYPE PL'ATENS OR THE LIKE Filed March 9, '1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A.o. oLssou ET AL MILLING MACHINE FOR CYLINDRICAL STEREOTYPE PLATENS QRTHELIKE Feb. 3, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 9, 1956 Patented Feb.3, 1959 United States Patent Ofi MILLING MACHINE FOR CYLINDRICAL STEREO-TYPE PLATENS OR THE LIKE Axel Olof Olsson and Johan Julius Dahl,Stockholm, Sweden, assignors to J. Dahl & Son AB, Stockholm, Sweden, acorporation of Sweden Application March 9, 1956, Serial No. 570,443Claims priority, application Sweden March 15, 1955 2 Claims. (CI. 90-20)known, wherein the stereotype platen is arranged on a cylinder which isrotatably mounted on ashaft. The whole cylinder with its mounting isdisplaceable in the axial direction on a slide outside the cylinder, andis rotated by means of a gear pinion meshing with a gear wheel at oneend of the cylinder. By reason of the fact that the means of thecylinder for its rotation and longitudinal displacement are arrangedoutside the cylinder, these means are easily subjected to impurities andworked-01f millings, whereby the exact mounting of the cylinder may bejeopardized. Particularly, where it is desired to cut a number ofplatens at the same time, as is the case, for instance, in a printerywith a number of presses operating in parallel multi-colour printing,the mounting of a corresponding long cylinder cannot be constructed withthe accuracy required in such a case.

In the milling machine according to the invention, said drawbacks areavoided by the fact that the mounting and driving means for the rotationand axial. movement of the cylinder are enclosed within the latter.

The invention will be described hereinbelow in connection with theaccompanying, partly diagrammatic drawing of an eight-spindle millingmachine. Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through the machine viewed inelevation, Fig. 2 shows the machine viewed from the side, and Fig. 3shows the same viewed from above. Fig. 4 shows a mounting means for thecylinder, Fig. 5 shows the mechanism for effecting the rotary movementof the cylinder, and Fig. 6 shows the mechanism for eifecting the axialmovement of the cylinder.

The milling machine is erected on a base plate 1 with side walls 2, 2,which are united by means of a rear Wall 3. In a pair of floor-stands 4,4 arranged on both sides outside the side walls 2 on the base plate 1, asubstantially cylindrical supporting shaft 5 is stationarily andnonrotatably arranged with cut-down plane surfaces 6 bearing oncorresponding planes of the floor-stands 4. A keep 7, '7 at each endmaintains the supporting shaft 5 pressed against the floor-stand plane.The supporting shaft 5 extends along the front side of the machine andcarries a relatively thin walled hollow cylinder 8 concentricallymounted on the supporting shaft. Arranged on the surface of the cylinder8 are rigid steps 9, against which cylindrically curved stereotypeplatens 10 are adapted to hear. The machine shown in the drawing isintended for the milling of up to eight platens at the same time, whichare placed, four of them in a row along the cylinder 8 and four othersdiametrically opposite the first-mentioned platens. For each platen 10there is provided a milling spindle 11 displaceable radially toward thecylinder 8, four spindles being mounted on a beam 12 adapted to beraised and lowered and located above the cylinder 8,

and four spindles being arranged on a beam 13 adapted to be raised andlowered and located below the cylinder. The spindles 11 are driven inpairs by means of belt transmissions 14 from electric motors 15 securedin the rear wall 3, the milling machine described being equipped withtwo motors in the upper part and with two motors in the lower partthereof. The radial setting of the milling spindles 11 is eifected bymeans of a treadle arranged along the front side of the machine andacting at the same time over a lever system on the upper and the lowerrows of spindles 11. The treadle 16, which is operated from the frontside of the machine and which is preferably lockable in a depressedposition, is at each end thereof rigidly connected to a lever 16, whichis swingably arranged in bearing brackets 16" at both ends of the rearwall 3. The two milling spindle beams 12 and 13 are guided in a verticaldirection in guide ways 17, 17 on each side of the frame, and areoperated by means of levers 18, 19, which are swingably arranged on bothsides in the upper and the lower parts, respectively, of the side walls2 of the frame. The two lower singlearmed levers 19 are swingablyarranged at the side wall 2 at a fulcrum 20 in the fore ends thereof,and are ,at a point 21 between the ends thereof provided with a liftingroller 22 in engagement with'the lower spindle beam 13. The two upperdouble-armed levers 18 are swingably arranged at the side Walls 2 of theframe at a fulcrum 23 between the ends thereof, and are at the forelever end provided with a' lifting roller 24 in engagement with theupper spindle beam 12. The rear ends of the levers 18, 19 are on bothsides pivotally connected by means of a link rod 25, and at a fulcrum26' inside the fulcrum 26 of the lever 19 with the link rod 25 there ison each side arranged a shorter link rod 27, the other end of which isat a fulcrum 27' pivotally connected with the treadle 16. Here, theleverage is chosen so that the upper beam 12 will have imparted to thesame a movement which is approximately twice as great as that of thelower beam 13. Thus, if the upper beam 12 has a movement of displacementof 16 mm., the lower beam 13 has a displacement of 8 mm. Herebybalancing of the beams is obtained when the treadle 16 is operated. Acompression spring 27 is also arranged: for this purpose and is clampedon the long link rod 25 between an abutment 28 on the latter and abracket 29 arranged on the rear wall 3, the rod 25 extending throughsaid bracket.

The milling spindles 11 are only displaceable in a radial directiontoward the cylinder, whereby only the depth of the cut portion canbedetermined by the adjustment of the spindles in the vertical direction.In order that the milling spindles shall be capable of working offlarger portions of the stereotype platens 10, the cylinder 8 carryingthese platens is adapted to perform both a rotating and an axial feedingmovement on the rigid supporting shaft 5. To this end, the cylinder 8 isat each end mounted'radially by means of a radial ball bearing 30 on abearing holder 31 with a central hole, which has a diametersomewhat'greater than that of the supporting shaft 5. The inner ballrace 32 of the radial bearing 30 is secured to the bearing holder 31,whereas the outer ball race 33 is fitted against the inner surface ofthe cylinder 8. Furthermore, three ball bearings 34 are supportedoneccentrically adjustable pins 34' (Fig. 4) on pair of projections 31'on the bearing holder 31 the centralaxes of the ball bearings 34 beinglocated in a plane at right angles to the cylinder axis. These ballbearings 34 run with the outside of the outer ball race on a planedsurface on the supporting shaft 5 in the longitudinal direction of thelatter. The two bearing holders 31 are connected mutually by means ofthree braces 35, 36, 37 extending within the cylinder 8, one of them,35, extending along the upper side of the supshaft and provided with ahole having the upper brace T extending therethrough.

The two feeding movements of the cylinder are effected by means of twohand wheels 39, located on the front side of the machine withinconvenient reach of the machine attendant. The axial movement of thecylinder 8, that is to say, its longitudinal displacement on thesupporting shaft 5, is effected by means of the hand wheel 39 visible onthe right in Fig. 3. For the purpose in view, a guide screw 41 isarranged within the cylinder 8 in parallel to the supporting shaft 5,said guide screw being rotatably mounted in ball bearings 42, 43inserted into blocks 44, 45 on the supporting shaft 5. The length of theguide screw 41 exceeds in a certain measure the length of a stereotypeplaten 10, counted in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder 8.Arranged on said guide screw 41 is a nut 46 supporting between a pair offlanges a carrier 47 made in the form of a round disk, said carrierfloatingly surrounding the supporting shaft 5 while being secured bymeans of conical pins 47 to the three braces 35-37 extending throughapertures in the carrier 47. The nut 46 is mounted in the carrier 47with a radial play, while the axial play between the nut and the carrieris reduced to the least possible value. The guide screw 41 is connectedat one end thereof with a driving shaft 48, which is extended outthrough the right hand side wall 2 of the machine and through the righthand bearing stand 4, where the end of the shaft is mounted in a bracket49 and provided with a spur gear wheel 50. This gear wheel 50 is inengagement with another spur gear wheel 51 arranged on the end of ashaft 52 extending along the front side of the machine to the right handwheel 39. The shaft 52 is mounted at both end-s thereof, and is in theproximity of the hand wheel 39 provided with a bevel gear wheel 53 inmesh with another bevel gear wheel 54 on the shaft 55 of the hand wheel39.

The rotary movement of the cylinder is effected by means of a spur gearpinion 36 rotatably mounted within the cylinder 8, the length, mountingand the drive of said pinion being otherwise arranged in the same manneras for the guide screw 41. The spur pinion 56 is in engagement with aninternally toothed rim 57 secured on the inside of the cylinder 8. Theleft hand wheel40 is connected to the long spur pinion 56 over a bevelgearing 58, a longitudinally extending outer shaft 59, a spur gearing 60and a shaft 61 extending inwardly through the head of the cylinder 8.The cylinder 8 is also provided at each end thereof with a packing plate62, which by means of inserted packing rings 62' prevents impuritiesfrom penetrating into the cylinder.

The milling machine according to the invention thus makes it possible tocut as many as eight stereotype platens 10 at the same time, radialfeeding being provided by operation of the treadle 16, while feeding inthe longitudinal direction is performed by means of the right hand wheel39, the whole cylinder 8 being then moved in the longitudinaldirection,and feeding in a peripheral direction being effected by means of theleft hand wheel 40, the cylinder 8 being then turned about its centralaxis. By causing the cutter to follow the outlines of a platen portionto be milled off, the corresponding portions of the remaining platenswill be milled off automatically, on the condition that the platens 10are placed exactly on the cylinder 8. By the construction of themounting of the cylinder 8, as above described, this mounting can bemade with such precision that it will be possible simultaneously to cuta plurality of platens with an accuracy of :005 mm. On account of thefact that the mounting and driving means of the cylinder 8 are locatedwithin the latter, they are also protected against millings andimpurities that would otherwise prevent the exact functioning of themachine.

The milling machine according to the invention is not limited to theembodiment above described, but may be varied in its construction anddetails, without the inventive concept being departed from. Thus themachine is not limited to eight milling spindles, every reasonablenumber from one spindle and upwards being conceivable. Also, the drivingmeans of the cylinder may be constructed otherwise, for instance bymeans of hydraulic or electric motors arranged within the cylinder, withcontrol valves and switches, respectively, arranged outside thecylinder. Instead of the hand wheels described, electric motors may alsobe made use of.

What we claim is:

1. A milling machine for the milling of cylindrical stereotype platensor the like, said machine consisting of a frame, a supporting shaftrigidly mounted in said frame, a hollow cylinder mounted movably in theaxial direction on said supporting shaft and rotatably about its centralaxis, said cylinder serving for carrying said stereotype platens, amechanism enclosed within said cylinder to effect the rotary feedingmovement of the cylinder, 21 further mechanism enclosed within saidcylinder to effect the axial feeding movement of the cylinder, cuttingmeans in the frame, said cutting means being displaceable substantiallyin a radial direction toward each platen, a hearing holder at each endof the cylinder, at least three rotatably mounted rollers in eachbearing holder running with the outside of the outer ball race on aplaned surface on said shaft, the rotary central axes of which arelocated in a plane at right angles to the central axis of the cylinder,said rollers running on a planed surface of the supporting shaft in thelongitudinal direction of the latter, and in each bearing holder aradial bearing, on which bearings the cylinder is mounted for a rotarymovement. I

2. A milling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two bearingholders are connected by means of braces extending within the cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS376,134 Birge et al Jan. 10, 1888 506,620 Bemis Oct. 10, 1893 840,765Goss Jan. 8, 1907 1,146,175 Kutscheid et al July 13, 1915 2,214,450Boehle Sept. 10, 1940 2,253,702 Hall Aug. 26, 1941 2,280,481 CushmanApr. 21, 1942 2,322,129 Hawkins June 15, 1943

